Help me understand Pope Francis

[Autumnleaf]

The guy was a living saint as it related to the poor in South America. Then He gets elected Pope and He seems to be an environmental socialist guru. What happened between helping the poor and becoming His Excellency?

 

[Michie]

*subscribing*

 

[AvilaSurfer]

Not subscribing. Kind of a dumb OP.

 

[Albion]

The guy was a living saint as it related to the poor in South America. Then He gets elected Pope and He seems to be an environmental socialist guru. What happened between helping the poor and becoming His Excellency?

Here's the answer (I think). He was a champion of the poor in the same way as the rest of the Peronistas in Argentina have been. That's the reputation he had in Argentina, and that's characteristic of the followers of Juan and Evita Peron. Peron was sympathetic to Mussolini's "social democracy" which saw itself as sympathetic to the poor and lower working classes but, unlike the Communists, was patriotic and not hostile to the Church.

 

[Rhamiel]

the Pope understands that the poorest are most harmed by environmental catastrophes

he also understands that the poor are also most hurt by onus restrictions on factories

I am refreshed that the Pope looks at environmental issues first and foremost from a humanistic point of view (not secular humanism though)

he is still speaking out for the poor of course
it is not like he is focused only on one thing

have you read his twitter?
have you read any of his encyclicals?

 

[Martinius]

The guy was a living saint as it related to the poor in South America. Then He gets elected Pope and He seems to be an environmental socialist guru. What happened between helping the poor and becoming His Excellency?

Nothing has changed, he just has a larger, more public platform. To understand Pope Francis, you must listen to or read what he says, and watch what he does. You won't get a clear or complete picture from the media, especially FOX News or Limbaugh.

Reading the Encyclical and his earlier Apostolic Exhortation is the best way to learn his mind. But if that is too much for you, then go to the Vatican website. You can read his homilies, his short reflections that he gives at daily Mass, and much more. It is all there, in his words, not someone else's opinion or interpretation.

No disrespect intended here, but people who see the Pope as an "environmentalist" and "socialist" just haven't been paying attention to the teachings of the Church or what popes have been telling us for the past 100+ years. In his encylical, Francis quotes from Popes JPII, Benedict, Paul VI, John XXIII, and others before them. He also quotes from documents produced by a wide assortment of national and regional bishops' conferences on the subjects he covers, including the environment. This is nothing new, but coming from the Pope brings it to the attention of more people.

Now I can't wait to see what Pope Francis says on his visit to the U.S. By the time he finishes, I think some Bishops' ears will be burning, and the people at FOX News will be taking extra blood pressure meds.

 

[Rhamiel]

Now I can't wait to see what Pope Francis says on his visit to the U.S. By the time he finishes, I think some Bishops' ears will be burning, and the people at FOX News will be taking extra blood pressure meds.

do you think that the pro-abortion folk will need extra blood pressure meds too?
or do those who slaughter unborn not really care what the Pope has to say
so thus it does not bother them

 

[Antigone]

What happened?

They elected a pope who wasn't from Europe, is what happened.

Look, the Catholic church is united by one common doctrine and one common pope, but in practice Catholics vary widely. American Catholics are more conservative than most European Catholics and European Catholics are more conservative than Latin-American Catholics.

 

[Rhamiel]

this pope is "not conservative"?
he has talked more about the Devil then the last Pope
that good ol fire and brimstone stuff seems rather "conservative"
if we want to use the political term

the Pope is the Pope

 

[Antigone]

this pope is "not conservative"?
he has talked more about the Devil then the last Pope
that good ol fire and brimstone stuff seems rather "conservative"
if we want to use the political term

the Pope is the Pope

He also focuses a lot more on poverty and is much less conservative when it comes to his stance on abortion and non-traditional families. I don't think the pope is liberal or conservative, I think Catholics in different continents are.

 

[Rhamiel]

He also focuses a lot more on poverty and is much less conservative when it comes to his stance on abortion and

what has he said think he is less "conservative" on abortion?

 

[Antigone]

what has he said think he is less "conservative" on abortion?

Several things, which you are aware of and I'm not going to rehash them here. It's beside the point. The pope is not conservative or liberal but he is from an area where Catholics focus on different matters than in the west, and that is noticeable.

 

[MikeK]

what has he said think he is less "conservative" on abortion?

The ammount of our attention that we should focus on it, for one. For two, his merciful worldwide grant of permission for Priests to offer absolution for the sin without regard to what their Bishop has to say about it.

 

[Rhamiel]

The ammount of our attention that we should focus on it, for one. For two, his merciful worldwide grant of permission for Priests to offer absolution for the sin without regard to what their Bishop has to say about it.

I do not see how number 2 is "not conservative"
but whatever

 

[Armoured]

Couldn't be that the two are linked, could it?

 

[MikeK]

I do not see how number 2 is "not conservative"
but whatever

I think staying the course would have been the more conservative option. Not in an American political conservative sense, perhaps.

 

[Poor Beggar]

Here's the answer (I think). He was a champion of the poor in the same way as the rest of the Peronistas in Argentina have been. That's the reputation he had in Argentina, and that's characteristic of the followers of Juan and Evita Peron. Peron was sympathetic to Mussolini's "social democracy" which saw itself as sympathetic to the poor and lower working classes but, unlike the Communists, was patriotic and not hostile to the Church.

This.

 

[SolomonVII]

The guy was a living saint as it related to the poor in South America. Then He gets elected Pope and He seems to be an environmental socialist guru. What happened between helping the poor and becoming His Excellency?

Would it be too ironic to point out how even the Chair of St Peter is not exempt from the Peter Principle?

 

[Poor Beggar]

Would it be too ironic to point out how even the Chair of St Peter is not exempt from the Peter Principle?

That was witty, my friend.

 

[SolomonVII]

This.

Jonah Goldbergs's book Liberal Fascism really reminds us of the historic ties between Mussolini and the progressive do-gooders. WWII of course changed the meaning of the word completely to nothing more than an epithet, but I think that Albion is quite correct to remind us of how these tendencies are still with us today.